Why devolving control of immigration to Scotland is a realistic prospect

Just days before the EU referendum, Michael Gove said that if the Leave campaign was successful, it would be up to Scotland to decide its immigration policy. This was never acted on, but was seen by Brexiters as a means of softening the blow that leaving the European Union would have on the Scottish economy.

The catastrophic impact of Brexit is now apparent and, eight years on from Mr Gove’s commitment, the Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie indicated that her party was open to talks with the Scottish Government about a Scottish visa just before the general election.

Support from industry

It is easy to why there has been cross-party consensus on this. The food and drink industry, tourism sector, international higher education institutions, and many of Scotland’s leading industries relied on the freedom of movement provided by EU membership. That freedom ensured Scotland, and the UK more broadly, was an attractive place for migrants and their families to live and work.

Those within these sectors have also pointed towards the utility of a Scottish visa system. Leon Thompson, executive director of UK Hospitality Scotland, said: “The hospitality and tourism industry across Scotland has been calling for a Scotland visa for some time. We believe it really is one of the ways in which we can help address the skills and workforce shortage that we have in the industry.”

Demographic challenges and the twin issues of emigration and immigration have meant society is struggling in our international and inter-connected world.

‘One size does not fill all’

There has been some progress. Glasgow Labour MP John Grady told the Commons that his party were “in favour of bringing talented people into Scotland, and the Scottish Government are welcome to work with us as we seek to ensure that that takes place. As I understand it, the Home Secretary is determined to ensure that it does, and I also understand that the Migration Advisory Committee is looking at the issue carefully.”

Western Isles MP Torcuil Crichton, who has previously spoken out about the demographic challenges facing his own rural constituency, also showed support by stating: “When it comes to immigration policy, one size does not fit all. It shouldn’t be beyond us to devise ways to attract more people to work and settle here.”

This has been some welcome fresh thinking from these MPs and this will be welcomed by businesses who are struggling within their constituencies. However, that consensus in Scotland is meeting up with the challenge of a consensus in Westminster that is quite different, with the Labour-run Home Office and new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch both apparently dismissing the idea.

International precedents

In recent years, it has been hard to get leaders in Westminster to recognise the damage being done by a migration stance that is more about offsetting the political challenge posed by the Reform party at Westminster, rather than tackling a distinctive economic need in Scotland.

There is a way forward, devolution always involved a recognition that there is no one-size-fits-all solution across the UK and the migration system is a key example of this.

Internationally, there is precedent for more decentralised approaches. Other devolved administrations, even those with asymmetrical devolution, illustrate that different migration policies within the same state can work. Both Canada and Australia have systems with decentralised migration policies that are prescriptive about where migrants can settle, with the Canada-Quebec accord being an example of this.

A sensible immigration debate

Whilst I am not suggesting that we simply cut and paste the system from another jurisdiction, a collaboration involving the Scottish and UK governments, MPs and MSPs from across the political spectrum, and key stakeholders, could be a way of bringing us together.

To do this, there needs to be a more sensible approach to how we debate and discuss migration. We must acknowledge that migration is hugely influential in our society and that it remains a contributor to our society’s development.

We also owe it to our world-leading industries to have a better discussion and debate. Just look at our world-beating universities where migration continues to contribute towards making Scotland’s institutions global leaders, whilst also enriching the learning experience for Scottish students, and helping the coffers too.

Other sectors such as care and the NHS also rely heavily on immigrants and are struggling with a UK immigration system whose faults have been aggravated by the decision to leave the EU.

Political room for manoeuvre

As Torcuil Crichton stated, it shouldn’t be beyond us to find a way through this. There is plenty of scope for compromise and for innovative solutions to be introduced so that Scotland has greater control over our immigration policies.

There is also the political space to do it. The next election is not due until the Holyrood poll in 2026, and this provides a bit of political room to do what we can to find a way though this.

Greater devolution of migration has cross-party and cross-sector support. If both governments and different parties can come together and reach agreement on this thorniest issue, it would show the best of our politics. That would be something for us all to celebrate.

Stephen Gethins is the MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry